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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28645617">Coffee, Tea, You and Me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cuddlyoctopus/pseuds/StrapOnBilbo'>StrapOnBilbo (cuddlyoctopus)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops &amp; Cafés, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Barista Kili, Battle of Five Armies - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Coffee Shops, Doctor Tauriel, Douchey Thranduil, Everybody Lives, F/M, Height Differences, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired By While You Were Sleeping (1995), Inspired by Grey's Anatomy, Jerk Legolas, Sorry Not Sorry, injuries, probably a bit OOC</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:08:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,776</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28645617</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cuddlyoctopus/pseuds/StrapOnBilbo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Tauriel is a beautiful doctor. Kili is a handsome but short barista. Fluff and drama ensue. A very cheesy piece by a former barista.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield, Kíli (Tolkien)/Tauriel (Hobbit Movies), one-sided Legolas/Tauriel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Coffee Meet, Not So Cute</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first time Tauriel walked into Durin Coffee, the first thing Kili noticed about her was her height. She was about a foot and a half taller than him, with waist-length red hair and perfect skin. He could hardly breathe looking at her and just stared at her for a minute until she got right up to the counter.</p>
<p>"Hello. Welcome to Durin Coffee. What can I get for you?"</p>
<p>Tauriel was blushing lightly and was having trouble meeting his eye. Kili assumed he'd made her uncomfortable by staring and tried to be more professional than usual as a result. He usually got away with a lot because his uncle owned the place and it had been in his family for generations (first as a diner and then as a coffee shop), but this was the first time he thought he'd made someone uncomfortable this way. He usually would comp a drink if he upset a customer, but that would make this even worse so he didn't really know what to do.</p>
<p>"I'd like a venti mocha with 2 extra shots please."</p>
<p>"Here that's called a large latte with chocolate," he said, typing it in. "That'll be $4.97, please."</p>
<p>Tauriel handed him the money and he moved to the espresso machine to make her drink. There was a bit of an awkward silence while he worked and he wondered if he should break it, but felt worried about doing the wrong think. She looked uncomfortable but finally broke the silence.</p>
<p>"So how did you get into the coffee business?"</p>
<p>Kili was surprised that she spoke and was being friendly and rushed to respond. "Oh I'm just working for my uncle while I'm in college."</p>
<p>She blushed harder and replied, "I thought you were older than that."</p>
<p>"I'm kinda a nontraditional student," he said, "I goofed off a lot when I was younger so I'm 24 in what will hopefully be my last year of college. What do you do?"</p>
<p>"I'm kinda a doctor." She wanted to say that she was young for a doctor, but didn't want to show off having graduated early (twice) when he'd just told her that he'd had trouble with school.</p>
<p>Kili nodded. "Hence the four shots of espresso" he said and smiled at her, passing her the drink.</p>
<p>She said thank you and hurried out. He didn't blame her, but hoped they'd ended up on a better note than they'd started on.</p>
<p>Over the next few weeks, she became a regular. He knew her order and she asked how his classes were going or other small talk. He'd ask about her work at Mirkwood General and she'd tell him whatever she legally could. The ups and downs of being an intern, etc. They slowly became friendly.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Rain: That Sweet Herald of Romance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next time she came in, it was pouring raining outside. Her hair and clothes were soaked and Kili privately thought she looked beautiful. She flopped down at the pourover bar and put her head down on her folded arms. "I'm just gonna stay here till it all stops. I've been up at least 30 hours and I can't handle anything more."</p><p>"Hey, would you like a dry t-shirt?" Kili asked. She looked up at him like he was the sun and stars combined.</p><p>"You are a saint."</p><p>He gave her a spare uniform shirt and a plastic bag to put what she was wearing in. The public bathroom was occupied, so he sent her to the back, to the employee bathroom. On her way back to the front, she ran into a stern-looking, muscular, older man.</p><p>"I don't remember hiring you." He said with folded arms.</p><p>"Oh...ah...Kili was just being very kind and lent me this shirt since mine got soaked in the rain."</p><p>Thorin raised an eyebrow at her and walked away, to his office.</p><p>"I hope I didn't get you in trouble," she told Kili, "I ran into the manager or someone and he seemed upset that I was back there and wearing a staff t-shirt."</p><p>"Oh, sorry. Uncle Thorin can be a bit grouchy from time to time, but I swear he didn't really mind."</p><p>"Good. I was worried," she said softly, glad she hadn't cost him his job.</p><p>Kili handed her a hot cup. "What's this?" she asked.</p><p>"Mint tea. Invigorating but won't keep you awake when you get home." he replied.</p><p>"That sounds perfect. What do I owe you?"</p><p>He blinked. "You didn't even order it! I'm not going to charge you for something you didn't order!"</p><p>She didn't know what to say but when his back was turned, she shoved a handful of bills into the tip jar. She stayed for another hour till the rain let up, sitting at the pourover bar and shamelessly distracting Kili from his work.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Meet the Durins</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tauriel walked in one day to find a young man who was not Kili behind the counter. She felt an unmistakable pang of disappointment that she couldn't quite rationalize and hoped didn't show on her face. He was about Kili's age and looked a bit like him.</p><p>"May I have a large latte with chocolate and two extra shots?" she asked and handed him her credit card. Fili looked down at it and recognition registered on his face.</p><p>"Kili! Your girlfriend is here!" She felt like her heart stopped in her chest. How could this stranger know about and mock her feelings like that?</p><p>Kili came in from the back, carrying too many boxes to see anything.</p><p>"Ha ha. Go ahead and make fun of your tragically single brother."</p><p>"He's single!" she thought to herself.</p><p>Kili set the boxes down and for the first time ever, seeing Tauriel made his heart drop. She'd heard Fili's stupid joke. He was sure she'd hate him for it. He tried to be casual. "Ah...hi, Tauriel. Mocha, right?" He began steaming milk and started the espresso.</p><p>"Yup!" She said, shuffling her feet a bit and looking down.</p><p>"Don't mind Fili. He's just jealous that my customers don't all hate me." She gave him a little smile.</p><p>"Well you're one of the only baristas in this stupid city who doesn't criticize me for ordering such a sweet drink."</p><p>"Really? It's not like you're ordering an extra sweet caramel frappe, hold the espresso and extra whipped cream!" Fili called out from the other side of the booth.</p><p>Tauriel pulled a face. "People don't really order that, do they?"</p><p>"Yeah. Sure. 'People,'" Fili said. "Definitely not Kili. Definitely just annoying strangers who live in Seattle yet hate coffee." and threw a crumpled receipt at Kili's head.</p><p>"I JUST REALLY LIKE ICE CREAM OK," Kili yelled. "And that receipt fell in the milk. Now I have to start over. At least try to be professional!" He tried really hard not to sound pleased that Tauriel's drink was delayed and she'd have to stick around.</p><p>"I'm at least as professional as you," Fili replied.</p><p>Just then, a very short man with curly hair walked through the front door. The boys stopped bickering immediately. Bilbo walked around the counter as if he belonged completely there. Fili and Kili each bent their knees a bit as he passed so that he could kiss the top of their heads.</p><p>"Say hi to Uncle Thorin for us," Fili said, as Bilbo headed to the back, "Don't have sex in the office again!"</p><p>Kili blushed and shot Fili a glare. He snuck a quick look at Tauriel before burying himself in his work.</p><p>Tauriel walked to the side of the counter where he was working. "Your uncle's boyfriend?" she asked.</p><p>"Worse. Uncle's husband. So he's our uncle too now. They got married six years ago and are still insufferable about it." There was clear affection in his voice.</p><p>"You're lucky," she said vaguely, looking a bit wistful.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Jealousy and Sarcasm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She always came into Durin Coffee alone, until one day she came in with a tall, blonde man. Kili tried not to let his smile falter. It was 7am. All he could do was assume they either lived together or had just otherwise slept together. When they got up to the counter, he started as usual, "large mocha, 2 extra shots?" He asked and the man with her glared, looking back and forth between them. "Thank you, Kili," Tauriel said, completely ignoring Legolas' drama. "You know me so well," she said, giving him the small, private smile that had always seemed just for him before.<br/>Legolas jumped in with "I'd like caramel macchiato, iced with three extra shots" and immediately pulled out his wallet. He had a stack at least an inch thick with hundred dollar bills, as Kili saw when he fanned them out to try (and fail) to find a smaller bill.</p><p>"You really don't have to do that," Tauriel said softly, looking uncomfortable and close to bolting.</p><p>"Yes, yes I do."</p><p>When Kili gave him his change, Legolas didn't leave a tip. Tauriel covertly slipped a few dollars into the tip jar.</p><p>She seemed to be trying to communicate something to Kili with her eyes, but he couldn't figure out what it was. As he began making the drinks, she said, "Kili, this is Legolas, my brother," emphasizing the last word. Kili felt immensely, inexplicably relieved that they weren't together, but Legolas jumped and snapped his head around to look at her.<br/>"It's not like that! I'm not actually her brother. My dad adopted her when she was 16. It's not like we're related or grew up together!"<br/>Kili and Tauriel spoke at the same time, "16 is still growing up together." They looked at each other and laughed.<br/>"Jinx!" she said, "you owe me a coke."</p><p>He grinned and, holding her gaze, he leaned forward as if he was going to kiss her, and then stretched his arm down into the display fridge to grab a coke. He thunked it down on the counter in front of her and paid with money from the tip jar, grinning at her.</p><p>She frowned a little, playfully, "Does that even count? It's my money. You're making me buy myself a coke."</p><p>"Nope! It's not your money. The second you put it in the jar, it became mine fair and square."</p><p>"That's true," she replied, smiling.</p><p>"What the fuck is going on here???? Am I in the fucking Twilight Zone????" Legolas exclaimed. "Why are you paying attention to this short barista????" He spat the word barista like it was the rudest word in the English language and he couldn't comprehend someone treating a barista with any dignity at all.</p><p>Kili was a little surprised, but Tauriel was downright furious.</p><p>"Kili is actually my friend! He doesn't lurk around me at work and or at my apartment, trying to pressure me to go out with him. And he didn't get his daddy to buy the hospital I work at to manipulate me either!" She burst out. Kili and Legolas were both shocked. She usually mostly hid her emotions, but now she was visibly furious.</p><p>"I'll pay for my own drink," she continued. "I don't want this dickbag to pay for me," handing Kili some cash. He rang it through and gave Legolas his money back.</p><p>Legolas rolled his eyes. "Can't you at least give me my hundred dollar bill back? I hate having all these small bills," he said waving the stack of twenties in Kili's face.</p><p>"Nope!" Kili said, popping the p. "Store policy." He flashed a smile and caught Tauriel giving him a small smile back.</p><p>He handed them their drinks and called out as they walked away, "Bye, Tauriel...bye, Legolas!" with a mocking tone on the latter part.</p><p>Tauriel turned back to wave, eyes laughing before the bell rang and they were gone.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. A Large Pourover</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tauriel was gone for a number of days, longer than she'd ever missed since she started coming to Durin Coffee. Kili worried he'd pushed things too far with Legolas and she was never coming back. He'd just given up hope, when she burst into the shop, later in the morning than she'd ever been before.</p><p>"Hi, Kili. I'd like a large pourover coffee, please."</p><p>He smiled. "No mocha today?"</p><p>She shook her head and sat down at the pourover bar. He started to weigh out coffee and she began in a rush. "I'm so sorry, Kili, if I was weird last time I was here. I just moved out from Thranduil's house right before we met and he and Legolas have been so weird and controlling ever since."</p><p>"Ah," he replied, nodding and pouring water over the grounds,"family can be very complicated. Actually, I was worried I might have upset you by how I treated him. I try to be more professional than that."</p><p>"Do you? One of the last times I was here, you were yelling at a middle aged woman about how you couldn't make her frappe vegan and sugarfree."</p><p>Kili laughed. "Well in my defense, she'd been arguing with me for twenty minutes about how I could just leave the frappe powder out...which would just leave a disgusting, watery mess. And then she'd hate it and leave a bad review or I'd have to give her a refund and a new drink or both!"</p><p>"Oh yes, I'm sure she gave the shop a fantastic review after that!"</p><p>"You won't believe it. She posted online not five minutes after she left." He pulled his phone out to show her.</p><p>"Oh I love the part where she objectifies you and then immediately complains that you're the most stupid man on Earth. I knew I liked himbos."</p><p>Kili flushed. "Well she doesn't say anything about kind, so not quite a himbo."</p><p>"Just because she doesn't say it, doesn't mean you're not kind," she looked up at him from where she sat and he felt lost in the emerald depths of eyes. He felt that he could look into her eyes for the rest of his life and never feel hunger or thirst till he dropped dead.</p><p>He spilled the water he was pouring. "Oh shit," he muttered and grabbed a stray towel. In his haste to clean up the hot water, he didn't realize that a coworker had left a knife inside it and the knife spun out, stabbing into his thigh. "Fuck" he said, and fell down.</p><p>Tauriel ran around the counter and knelt down next to him.</p><p>"Stay with me, Kili!" She pulled off her outer, long sleeve shirt and began to put pressure on his wound. She was just wearing a tank top underneath and he'd never seen her in so little. He tried not to stare, but the beautiful woman leaning over him like that was much more enjoyable than the knife in his leg. "It's fine. It's just a distraction," he thought to himself.</p><p>"So...uh...don't you need to remove my pants to take care of that?" He internally blamed bloodloss for the stupid joke.</p><p>"I'd love to, Kili, but that would risk jostling the knife."</p><p>His thoughts were fuzzy as she called 911.</p><p>The next thing he knew he was being put on a gurney by some paramedics. Tauriel rushed after them, preparing to get in the ambulance.</p><p>"We know you're a doctor, Tauriel, but you really can't come in the ambulance," one of the paramedics said. Tauriel looked like she was torn between arguing and staying behind so he'd get to the hospital faster, so Kili spoke up.</p><p>"She's my fiancee!" He called out. "It's a reverse While You Were Sleeping," he thought to himself, making excuses for giving into cliches and being inappropriate. Once she was settled next to him in the ambulance, she took his hand, a sensation that he savored. When the paramedic's back was turned, he winked at her so she knew he knew she wasn't really his fiancee and that he wasn't having delusions. Sweet, sweet delusions. Maybe with kisses. His mind wandered.</p><p>As he was getting wheeled through the ER, they were getting a lot of looks from the Mirkwood General staff and he realized she was still holding his hand. And still wearing the cute green tank top.</p><p>"Don't worry, Legolas isn't on today," she whispered to him.</p><p>But Thranduil was. After Kili's leg was all stitched up and bandaged, Thranduil made his way into the room, where Tauriel sat close to Kili's bed, still holding his hand and talking softly.</p><p>Thranduil, looking cold and disapproving, said, "Everyone said you'd brought in a boyfriend, but I didn't believe it."</p><p>"Boyfriend? I thought the rumor was fiance!" she replied.</p><p>Thranduil looked shocked. "Engaged? He looks homeless! You can't possibly prefer this...man...to my son!" He sounded like it pained him to give Kili the dignity of calling him a man.</p><p>"Oh, you mean her brother?" Kili piped up with false cheerfulness.</p><p>Thranduil gave him a horrified look and then turned back to Tauriel. "Put something on. I can't have my doctors looking like sluts." And he swept out of the room with all possible drama and dignity, but before he was so much as out of sight, Kili and Tauriel collapsed in helpless laughter.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Hit and Run</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A week or so later, Kili was walking (limping) to the store to get some more lemons for the shop, when he saw Tauriel across the street. She had her head down and looked kinda upset and he wanted to see if she was ok (and have an excuse to talk to her). So he waved his arm in the air and called out, "Hey Tauriel!" She looked up and gave him a weak smile, so he started to cross the street.</p><p>Out of nowhere came a motorcycle, knocking Kili off his feet. Tauriel screamed from the further sidewalk and ran towards him. The motorcyclist wasn't hurt and jumped back on his (now scratched and dented) bike and drove off, leaving Kili lying in the street. The next car pulled to a sudden stop, just short of him and put on their hazards. Tauriel and the car's driver got to him at the same time. They began dialing 911 and she knelt beside him, taking his hand.</p><p>"Kili, can you hear me? You have to stay conscious in case you have a concussion." He started to move a bit, trying to get up and she gently pushed him back down, holding him in place. "Don't move. You tore your stitches open and you might have other injuries we don't know about yet."</p><p>"I feel fine," he insisted, even though he was pale and looked to be in quite a bit of pain.</p><p>She smoothed his hair out of his face. "You have to stop doing this to me. Who would make me coffee if you weren't there?"</p><p>He looked up at her in surprise at the emotion in her voice.</p><p>"I'm nothing special," he replied, his confusion evident in his voice.</p><p>She just pressed his hand and said, "I think you're my only friend outside work."</p><p>This time the paramedics seemed to accept Tauriel's presence, even though these were different paramedics. Kili wondered if the rumor of their relationship had spread to them or if they just assumed it was ok for Tauriel to come along. The ambulance ride was only about ten minutes anyway.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Is This a Date?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kili, it turned out hadn't injured much beyond tearing his stitches, dislocating his shoulder, and possibly having a concussion. After going through a seemingly endless battery of tests and scans, Kili was brought to a room where Tauriel was waiting for him, with a tray full of food and cheesy reality television already set up for him. She was lying on the bed and moved to get up.</p><p>"No, you can stay there, just scoot over a bit," Kili said, as the nurse helped him up. He and Tauriel sat next to each other on the bed, quite close because it was a narrow hospital bed. She offered him some fries. He shook his head and leaned on her shoulder. They watched TV in companionable silence while the nurse, and much less officially Tauriel, monitored his condition.</p><p>He must have fallen asleep once it was safe because the next thing he knew, the room was dark, lit only by the blueish glow of the muted television. He'd rolled on his side and Tauriel was spooning him, a comforting arm wrapped around his belly and her face buried in his hair. He liked it far more than he'd admit, even to himself, and he fell back asleep listening to her soft breathing.</p><p>Tauriel and Kili woke up the next morning to a room full of Durins. Thorin, Bilbo, Fili, and an assortment of cousins were all crowded around.</p><p>"We were wondering if you two would ever wake up. We would have said something, but you two looked so comfortable!" Bilbo exclaimed. He got a glare from Kili and a blush and averted eyes from Tauriel.</p><p>Fili, never one to miss out on teasing his brother, added, "We didn't know you two had made it official!"</p><p>Tauriel and Kili exchanged a look. Thorin got the significance of the look immediately. "Ah!" he said, "well we just wanted to make sure you were alright. We better go open the shop. Come on boys!" And he began herding his nephew, cousins, and husband toward the door.</p><p>"Ugh, I thought they would never leave!" Kili exclaimed. Tauriel sat on the edge of the bed facing away from him and trying to do something with her hair.</p><p>"They weren't here that long. It's nice that you have so many people who care about you."</p><p>"You have people who care about you too," he replied, with a hand on her back.</p><p>She looked over her shoulder at him, smiling a little. "Really? Because some people haven't asked me out yet. I was beginning to doubt whether they cared at all!"</p><p>Kili was frozen, looking like a deer in the headlights. He shook himself and said "I didn't think you'd be interested."</p><p>"Well now you know. And you also know that if you ask me out, I'll stay over."</p><p>He looked even more surprised and she leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before leaving for her shift.</p><p>Kili knew she had to still sort things out with her family and Mirkwood General, but he just knew that everything was going to be alright now. She would be in his life and he would share his family with her and he felt in that moment that they would live happily ever after.</p><p> </p><p>Bonus:</p><p>"So word at Mirkwood was that you two are engaged!"</p><p>"Fili!!!!!"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you so much to anyone who's made it this far. I value each and every one of you.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I was supposed to be writing Chapter 2 of Back to the Beginning, but this happened instead. Guess I'll work on that tomorrow instead so that I actually sleep tonight.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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